Unconditional Love
by JAT.NJ
Summary: Sometimes love comes too late. Lee Kara


**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**-Unconditional Love**

"Lee! Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee. No, no, no, no." She cradled him in her arms. "Please. Stay with me. Please." He coughed and a small trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

His eyes finally seemed to focus on her. "Kara." He said, weakly….

_**One Year Ago...** _

"Sam asked me to marry him." Kara said quietly as she lay wrapped in Lee's arms. She felt him tense, but he didn't speak. "I said 'no.'"

She expected him to be happy. She expected him to tell her that he loved her, and that they could make it work. She expected him to tell her that they'll be together for the rest of their lives. She expected him to take her like he had an hour ago.

But he didn't.

He let out the breath he'd been holding. Kara looked at him. He was anything but happy. His eyes were squeezed shut and he had raised a hand to his forehead.

"Lee?"

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on his boxers.

"Lee." She put a hand on his arm and he pulled away, walking across the room.

"Kara, I…."

She stood in front of him with the blanket wrapped around her. The pain in his eyes was scaring her. "Lee, please." She said, brushing a hand down his cheek.

"I married Dee." His voice was barely a whisper.

As hard as she tried to, she couldn't breathe. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears and the room turned white. She put her head in her hands, sliding her fingers into her hair and pulling it tight, using the pain it caused to bring the room back into focus.

"When?"

"Yesterday."

Her hand came out like lightning and struck him across the face.

"Frak, Lee," she exploded. "You married her yesterday and you're frakking me today? How the hell can you do that?" She shoved him. "Huh?" She shoved him again. "Answer me, you asshole."

She went to shove him a third time but he grabbed her hands to stop her. He spun her around and pinned her against the bulkhead, their hands trapped between them.

"You didn't want me, remember?." He growled.

"No." She whimpered. She was lying. She did remember. _There is no us. There's nothing here._ Gods, she wished she could take it back.

"Why did you go back for him, Kara? The Admiral.. the President.. they turned the SAR down. Why did you push for it?"

"There were survivors, Lee. We had a duty…"

"Those other people were just a convenient selling point, Kara." He shouted, pressing harder against her. "You went back for _him_. If you wanted me, why did you go back for him?"

"Because _you_ didn't want _me._" She pushed away from him and quickly pulled on her clothes.

"I guess I'm not the only pilot who can't keep their pants on." She spat, and stormed out.

_**Present Day...** _

She had spent the last year thinking about Lee - about their first, last and only night together.

She had gone to his quarters to let him know she had chosen him over Sam, but it turned out she was too late. One day too late. Too humiliated to face him or Sam, she fled to New Caprica.

Still, she couldn't stop thinking about him. At least once a day she went to the shuttle to call him. She'd turn on the power and pick up the receiver then put it back down and shut the power off again, deciding it was better to let him get on with his life even if she couldn't get on with hers.

But now the Cylon occupation was over. The rescue parties from Pegasus and Galactica had landed to bring the survivors back to the fleet. She knew Lee would be among them.

She headed off towards the rescue shuttles, winding her way through the crowds in the New Caprica City Market. Occasional gun shots rang out from drunken partiers celebrating the human victory by shooting their guns off like fire crackers. She should pop some the of the idiots for being irresponsible, but she needed to see Lee first.

She saw him standing by one of the shuttles going over something with one of his officers. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw him. He had gotten more handsome, if that was possible. His shoulders were broader, his hair was longer and his eyes were bluer. She ran her hand through her much shorter hair wondering what he would think of it, then took a deep breath and called out his name. He turned, met her eyes and smiled.

It was all the invitation she needed. She ran through the crowd and into his outstretched arms. He pulled her into a hug and spun her around just as another shot rang out.

She felt him go limp and struggled to hold him up. Her hands pressed against his back feeling something warm and wet there. _Oh, gods no. Not this man. Not now. _When she brought her hand back around, it was covered in blood.

She crumpled to the ground.

"Lee! Lee, Lee, Lee, Lee. No, no, no, no." She cradled him in her arms. "Please. Stay with me. Please." He coughed and a small trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

His eyes finally seemed to focus on her. "Kara." He said, weakly.

"Hey. You're ok. It's ok. Hold on. Please Lee." Her voice broke and she started to cry.

He reached an unsteady hand up to her face and wiped a tear away. "Hey. Don't cry. I'm not mad at you anymore."

She smiled through her tears. "No, baby, me neither. Don't talk ok? The doc's coming."

"Love you." He whispered. His chest rose and fell one last time.

A single sob escaped her as she leaned down to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Love you too."


End file.
